As some of you know, I’ve been book blogging for just a little over a year now. In the grand scheme of things, that isn’t very long but a lot of things can happen in a year. Change is inevitable during this time, so it’s always good to reflect upon where we are, where we’ve come from and where we’re going. I think that that’s an important part of personal development, so today I thought I’d consider how blogging has impacted me as a reader.
Things that Changed
1. I read more.
I used to average a book, maybe two a week. After I started blogging, I’ve come to average two, occasionally three books a week.
This is an interesting discovery to me because I blogging takes up a fair bit of time, so how did I find even more time to read? I think partly I’ve just been more motivated to read instead of doing nothing. Though I’ve also come to make better use of my time. Those times that I used to sit around for ten minutes here and there, just daydreaming aren’t so frequent anymore. Aside from that, I hardly play games on my phone anymore either, opting instead to read.
2. I read more widely (within YA).
My preferred genre has always been contemporary fiction, though I did enjoy a good fantasy or science fiction book here and there. Blogging has expanded that horizon and I’ve read books in the past year that I most likely wouldn’t have, if not for blogging.
The first book that comes to mind is More Than This by Patrick Ness (my review), which I only read because Asti loves Patrick Ness so much. I hadn’t heard of him prior to blogging and I doubt I’ve looked at any of his books on the library shelves. I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on this tremendous book thanks to blogging and Asti.
3. My TBR list expanded. A lot.
I think this goes without saying. The more blogs I read, the more books I discover. The more books I discover, the more books I want to read. This is why I try to only add books that I truly intend to read. Once in a while I sort through that list and remove books I no longer wish to read.
4. I occasionally take notes wile reading.
Prior to blogging I rarely bothered with taking notes, unless I was reading non-fiction. When it comes to reviewing books, it can be very helpful to have those notes to refer to.
5. I pay more attention to the prose.
This means that I make a conscious effort to see which point-of-view has been adopted and which tense a book is set in. Multiple point-of-view are obvious but the difference between first person and third person can be very slight if you’re caught up in the plot.
Also, I realized that sometimes the reason a book made me feel unsettled was the tense. Yet prior to blogging, I wouldn’t have been able to explain why. Some books just don’t work in present tense, yet they stubbornly have been forced to conform to the apparent norm. Now I’m much more aware of this.
6. I’ve become a more active reader.
I love a good book to unwind. But now my mental processes are a lot more active, taking note of the little things that previously were left to the subconscious.
Things that Didn’t Change
1. I predominantly read YA.
I’ve been reading young adult fiction for practically half my life now. I don’t see this changing in the near future. However, since I’ve been reading more, this does give me a chance to read a lot more books as well that aren’t YA.
2. Not finishing a book is difficult.
In fact, I didn’t even occur to me chuck away a book until I noticed that a fair number of bloggers do this. Not finishing makes me feel somewhat guilty. Plus, even if I’m not enjoying a book, it’s interesting to see what it is about a book that bothers me.
3. I hate spoilers.
Spoilers ruing the element of surprise, which is an important factor for me when I read. Even though I have no qualms looking up spoilers for TV shows, when it comes to books, spoilers make me rage. This is why I unfollow people on Tumblr when they post spoilers, even if it’s for books I don’t plan to read.
4. Goodreads is my go-to website for books.
Goodreads has been a wonderful book discovery tool all along. And I like tracking my reading. For that Goodreads is extremely useful. In fact, if I had to give up either Facebook or Goodreads, I wouldn’t hesitate to give up Facebook.
5. I do not write in my fiction books.
Even though I’ve taken to taking notes, I don’t do that in the margins. I use post-its, or jot down my thoughts in a notebook. If I don’t have a notebook with me, I’ll write on scrap pieces of paper or type my notes on my phone but for the most part, I prefer to handwrite.
Ebooks on the other hand are great because I can highlight liberally without leaving any permanent marks.
6. I hardly re-read books.
There are so many great books out there, waiting to be read. Every book that I re-read is one less additional book I could’ve read. Also, see #3 with regards to that element of surprise that I seek. Re-reading nixes that.
In ways has blogging/reading book blogs affected you as a reader?
Confab ˈkän-ˌfab, kən-ˈ noun an informal discussion, often about a particular topic
Discussion posts are some of my favourite posts to read. New ideas get shared that way, or old ideas are revisited and given a new spin. And of course, I get to be my opinionated self as I hoist my views upon others, while pretending to be objective. Or maybe not. I do welcome alternate views and I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Blogging has changed my life in the sense that now I’m more critical of books. I used to rate books 5 stars just because I finished them. Now I’m more concious about why I liked the book and what I liked about them. Like you, I know read more often and even 5 minutes of free time is good for reading.
I’ve discovered books I never thought I’d read before, as well as authors that would’ve never been on my radar if it weren’t for other bloggers and my active participation in GR and other reading sites.
I can’t buy a book anymore without the help of Goodreads. If I see that my friends liked the book, then I’ll give it a chance and buy it.
Great post! It’s funny seeing how blogging influences our reading habits.
I definitely agree with you, Marianne. It has made me a much more critical reader, although I think in part that’s also because I’ve been reading more.
Discovering new books is one of the most wonderful things about blogging to me. I found and read so many books I probably wouldn’t have either, if not for blogging.
Lol. I can relate. I cannot not look up every single book anymore, even if it’s just to glance at the average rating.
I think since becoming a book blogger, I read with more purpose now. I actually keep track of my TBR books! And I am discovering more and more about what I like and don’t like in a book. With only so much reading time in this life, I want to spend it on the good ones!
More purpose is great! That adds another motivating factor when reading, I feel :) And yes, blogging definitely has helped me sift between good and not so good books too, which is a huge bonus!
I actually wrote a post on this recently as well! I definitely read more and have a longer TBR pile now because of blogging! I also (very occasionally) take notes now and have tried out many books within YA that I might have missed otherwise.
I saw it after I posted this. Haha. I have your post bookmarked in my feed to read it soon! You’re in the midst of writing, iirc, right? So it’s great that you’ve taken to writing notes since it can only help you on your own writing journey! :)
Unfortunately I don’t think the notes I write are helpful with the writing process. I should probably take some better notes!
I have been blogging for a long time now.. and I like this idea of reflecting on how I have changed since blogging. I think personally.. I have become a much better writer. When I look back at my first reviews I just want to cringe. I really didn’t know how to say how I felt and sometimes I still feel that way with my book reviews. I just love though to keep working on them and making them better.
Hahaha. I think it’s normal to go back to our old writings and cringe. But it’s also a good thing because this shows how much we have grown! :)
1. For some reason, I also read more and I have less time than before, because I spend a lot of time on blogging.. I guess it’s because reading reviews from other people saves me from reading books I don’t like – and when I read a book I read them much faster.
2. Oh yes, I’m definitely better in branching out now. I still like to stick with the genres I love, but I’m not ‘afraid’ to try something else. I just look at the reviews to see if it’s worth it.
I HATE SPOILERS SO MUCH. I’m too addicted to Goodreads. I take notes, but never ever write in a book.
Great post, this was fun to read!
YAY! We get to have MORE BOOKS! :D MORE IN NUMBERS AND GREATER VARIETY! :D Hah. I’m just so pleased thinking about this. Hehehe :D
And oh the spoilers. Sigh. It bothers me greatly that more and more people are posting spoilers on Tumblr, and not only that, people are reblogging them :O This goes beyond my compression levels.
Totally spot on! I don’t like leaving books unfinished either, and that has only happened (in recent memory) once. Mainly because I couldn’t stand the love interest. I don’t like writing in my books either, like highlighting or underlining things in pen. Or pencil. That just puts me off. I hardly reread books too!
Book blogging has made my TBR list explode. :P Great post!
TBR list explosions are the best and also the worst! Lol. I get so excited about the books I want to read but I’m also always torn about which books to read, and I’m sad about the books I won’t ever get to read (mostly because they’re out of print or not sold through any of the channels I have access to).
I think the biggest changes that blogging has made in my life is the amount of books I read (I went from 60 one year to 160 the next!) and the amount of books I want to read. I’ve bought SO MANY books and added SO MANY more to my TBR list. But I’m really happy with a lot of things that are different about my life since blogging. I’m so happy that I’m able to read this much! It’s been a great thing.
That is a massive increase in books! :O Kudos to you! :) I practically feel your excitement jumping right at me and this is making me feel excited about reading more! Whoop!
I actually have experienced all the same changes as you! Except, we’re opposites for genres: I used to read all sci-fi/fantasy, and now I’m probably the biggest convert to contemporary. I actually tend to pick up the contemp more often than sci-fi if both are in front of me ;)
Yay to contemporary books! :D I’ve always loved them and I feel so happy whenever I get my hands on them. Heh.
It’s interesting to see how being a blogger can change certain habits.
Now that I tend to blog about books, I am a note taker whilst reading, which I never did before. Having said that I’ve been quite terrible at note taking – which sometimes I tend to rely on when writing a book, especially if I’m behind on the books I’m intending to review – lately, hence my lack of reviews. Haha!
Something I’ve noticed that I thought would perhaps change is my rereading habits, which surprisingly haven’t. I love to reread, I’m a big advocate of rereading. When clearing out my bookshelves, the question I ask myself for getting rid is whether I see myself rereading the book in the future. If the answer is a no, it goes. I thought perhaps I’d reread less, wanting to get new books out, however I still pick up books I’ve loved before on a regular basis.
Great post, as always!
:-)
Exactly! A year ago I couldn’t have predicted any of those changes. I think that’s good system to have for physical bookshelves. I feel much happier knowing that I either enjoyed or plan to read the books on my bookshelf. If I’m not interested in a book at all or didn’t like it, it has to go because I’d rather not see it sitting there.
I’ve been thinking about this topic for awhile now. I’ve been blogging for slightly more than two years now. I also read more, and I think it’s for the same reason as you. I use my time more wisely so I can fit in more books. And I LOVE that I read even more than before.
I also read more widely, picking up books I wouldn’t have before. For me books like The Lunar Chronicles, These Broken Stars – science fiction in general I never would have read. But I did and I LOVE THEM!
I don’t re-read much anymore, either, although it was something that I used to do all the time. I do miss that a little bit.
Yes, yes, yes! I’m am exceedingly happy about reading more nowadays, and it’s wonderful that this is the case for you too! :D
I also intend to read The Lunar Chronicles, which I had barely even heard of before blogging and probably wouldn’t have picked up at all either.
For me, I’ve re-read the first two Harry Potter books this year and want to continue re-reading the rest of the series. I don’t think I would’ve had the motivation to if not for blogging. Maybe you could set aside two weeks or month and dedicate that time to re-reading books. That way you’d be able to re-visit your favourites without worrying about all these other books you haven’t read yet.
I’ve only been blogging for a few months, so I’m still new at this, but blogging has definitely changed how I do some things. Mainly I read less now, because I get sucked into the blogging world too much :p
Awww. But I’m sure your appreciation for books and reading has increased, even if you read less books than before, right? ;) I do wonder once in a while if I would end up reading even more if I were to quit blogging. Haha. But for now I’m not going to find out because I intend to keep blogging.